After 18 years of marriage, Gerry Rubato arrives home to
find his wife, Maureen, dead from a blood clot to the brain
and his two-month-old son, Reese, screaming in his crib.
Gerry is devastated to be left alone dealing with an
infant, as well as his teenage daughter, Tanya, who ran
away from home with an older boyfriend. Following Tanya's
disappearance, which occurred prior to Reese's birth, not
even a private investigator has been able to find her.
After a two-month hiatus to deal with his grief and care
for his son, Gerry finally hires Lisa, a woman in her late
20s with a masters degree in child psychology. Gerry must
now force himself to leave his son and return to the
catalog/Internet retailer where he's an executive. With the
help of Maureen's sister, Codie, and his new team member,
Ally, he is striving to deal with the blow he's been dealt.
Over time, Ally's warm concern and love for Reese endears
her to Gerry and they fall in love. Gerry still searches
for Tanya and strives to deny his guilt over his
involvement with Ally. To cope with his devastating loss,
Gerry begins to write in a journal to his daughter in hopes
she will someday read it. He opens his soul in the journal
he calls "While You Were Out in the World." Gerry faces
many obstacles in choosing the right path for his small
family.
Michael Baron creates an unforgettable tale of one
man's devastating grief from the loss of his soul mate,
while at the same time keeping his life together for an
infant son and teenage daughter. Gerry's character is so
lovable; a genuine gem of a man any woman would be happy to
be involved with. His recovery takes him through much soul-
searching of all his mistakes, which he believes may have
led to his daughter's decision to leave. I truly loved this
story. It is so well-written that it's hard to keep
yourself separate from the fictional characters. I
absolutely recommend this book and plan to read every other
work written by this author. Triple-A reading!
Only a few months ago, Gerry Rubato had everything he
thought he needed from life. He was passionately in love
with his college sweetheart after nearly twenty years of
marriage, he had a bright, independent–minded
daughter, and he had the surprising addition of a new child
on the way. Then everything changed with stunning rapidity.
With little explanation, his daughter ran away with her
older boyfriend. Then, only a month after giving birth to
their son, his wife died suddenly.
Now, Gerry needs to be everything to his infant child
while he contends with two losses he can barely comprehend.
And when a woman walks into his life as a friend and their
relationship verges on something more, Gerry must redefine
all that he knows about himself, about love, about loyalty,
and about his dreams.
An emotionally charged story filled with warmth, humor,
wisdom, and unforgettable characters, When You Went Away is
a novel you will take to your heart.